Living Historian:Kim Poovey
Story by MARY ELLEN THOMPSON
Photography bySUSAN DELOACH
My name is Emma Victoria Brown. I was born in 1839 on a plantation in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. I do not want to be prim, proper and passive even though that’s what’s expected of me. I simply do not understand why I should not swim in my Sunday dress with my friend Charlotte. They blame my behavior on the fact that I was born under a full moon, but there’s more to it than that.
When Kim Poovey was a docent at the historic Verdier House, she dressed in pretty dresses, wore pearls and cameos and felt comfortable in that old house. That’s when she recognized, “I don’t belong in this time. I was thirty-five and I realized I really was a Victorian lady, so I slowly transformed myself into one.” In the process of her transformation, Kim birthed her alter-ego, Emma Victoria Brown, and brought her to life in her 2012 novel, Truer Words. Emma was born and raised in the Lowcountry during the 19th century, the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner. Kim dresses as Emma, tells her story in an accent and attitude so perfectly Southern that you would never guess she grew up in the North. Clearly, Emma was dwelling somewhere in Kim’s psyche, just as Kim’s house in town is haunted by cats long since departed from this world. Kim loves Emma like a sister; their affinity is clear. However, Kim may be just a bit envious of Emma’s station in life, “I was born to be kept, something went horribly wrong at birth!” Kim says with a laugh. As a storyteller, Kim brings Emma to life at various performances and fund raising events; “Emma made her debut at the Tea House in Port Royal.”
The Victorian era is the period Kim chooses to embrace. And indeed, when you meet her, you will agree that it suits her perfectly. She may show up at a writers group meeting dressed in full costume because she didn’t have time to change after an engagement. She will perch very prettily on the edge of a chair wearing a hoop skirt, which would have anyone else struggling to master. Her hands fold perfectly ladylike in her lap, her hair is styled demurely, her glasses as close to period as possible, and she has an amazingly serene countenance for someone who has chosen to dress in a style that historically requires nine layers of clothing. Marvel at her costumes if you will, she makes them all herself!
(EVB: “I wore one of my finer dresses, the green tartan with the silk roses on the skirt. Miss Rita was famous for the roses she created for our dresses. I pulled my hair up into a bun and placed a white hat with large plume feathers on my head. I slipped on my gloves, grabbed my basket and headed down the stairs.”)
Kim grew up in Newark, Delaware. She moved to Atlanta where she met Darryl Poovey who was in the Marine Corps, and they came to Beaufort. He was transferred to Hawaii, but she so loved Beaufort, that when he told her they were going to Hawaii, Kim cried that she didn’t want to leave here. Darryl came home the next day and said it had been a mistake – that he was actually going to Japan for a year and she would stay behind. She found out much later that it had not been a mistake, he went to his commanding officer and asked if it was possible for him to go to Japan so she could stay here. “I love Beaufort; it’s like family!”
(EVB: “That’s what makes you special. I think Mr. Hamilton enjoys spending time with such an intelligent woman. Stop worrying, Emma. I can tell by the way he looks at you that he cares a great deal about you.”)
However, when Darryl came back from Okinawa, he was stationed at Camp LeJeune and Kim had to leave her beloved Beaufort for the next ten years. From there, they went Hickory NC, but Kim missed Beaufort and came back to visit on the occasional weekend. Fate intervened and during one of her visits, she heard there was a position available for a school psychologist at Laurel Bay and the path back to Beaufort was paved.
Kim remembers that her childhood environment was very “70’s glass and chrome. When I was in elementary school I went to a lot of museums that were in old houses where I saw wonderful antiques. I thought, when I’m forty I’m going to be able to afford some of those and I will fill my house with antiques.” And that she has done. The Pooveys’ home in the historic district is filled with charming Victorian architectural elements and furnishings which include Kim’s collections of hand painted porcelains and Victorian hair jewelry. (Contrary to what one might think, hair jewelry is not an adornment for the hair, but rather jewelry made out of human hair.)
Beyond Emma, however, Kim and Darryl love to participate in Civil War reenactments. “Darryl was always into history, he grew up with it. For me, reenactment was the closest I could get to stepping back to the Victorian era. It took five years before he participated. He dresses as a gentleman personifying a Confederate blockade runner, which is unusual since most men dress as soldiers.” Not only does Kim make her own elaborate outfits, she makes Darryl’s as well. “Christine Lanning taught me to sew from patterns, I was a professional quilter and applique artist. (EVB: “Miss Rita kept us plenty busy helping those traveling secretly northward by way of the river. Charlotte and I quickly learned how to sew certain quilt patterns and hang the quilts by the river’s edge to help guide those travelers on their way.”) Christine goes to performances with me, she helps me dress and is as excited every time as she was the first time.”
Locales for the reenactments they’ve been to include, in South Carolina, Charleston, Columbia, Hampton, Frampton Plantation and Mt. Pleasant. They went to the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg in PA this year. In addition to traveling for the reenactments, Kim also travels for her historic performances. She performs as Emma Victoria Brown, Jane Austen and Scarlett O’Hara; and just for the record, Dickens is her favorite author. “They’re quite different characters, I’m a very confused soul,” she admits. Other performances include the art of Victorian dressing, and behind the scenes facts about Gone with the Wind. “I’m fluent with Gone with the Wind. I can tell you any line and scene; I just love Prissy.” She holds these performances throughout the southeast in museums, tea houses, country clubs and libraries. On October 16, she will be at the St. Helena Library discussing Victorian Mourning Practices as part of the Civil War Series. Kim also is an instructor at the USCB “OLLI” program – one of the classes she will teach is “Beyond Scarlett” which she describes as “little known stuff about making the movie.”
A rather spectacular part Kim got to play as a result of her avocation was Kevin Kline’s wife, Mrs. Stanton, in the movie The Conspirator. “It was Darryl’s idea! We got to use our own clothing and I think the dress Christine made for me got me the role. The filming was done at night – 28 hours for sixty seconds on film! It was so much fun to work with Kevin Kline; he is just so intense that he pulls people in.”
The last two weekends in October you may see Kim, all dressed up and wandering the streets of Beaufort at night. She may look like a lost soul, or she may show you a frighteningly good time. To benefit CAPA, she will take you on a haunted walk through the historic district where apparitions of the dearly departed show up and tell you their stories. “We’re there to give you a little scare,” Kim has been participating in this for sixteen years. Kim is quite fond of ghosts; a Civil War nurse that sometimes visits her house and a small coterie of ghost cats, none of which bother her in the least. “I love haunted stories and movies, but not the butcher kind. When I was a child and we’d have slumber parties my dad, Michael Wiegel, would tell us ghost stories. Stories like Edgar Allen Poe’s Tell Tale Heart; we thought it was just a good story, we didn’t realize we were getting an education in the process!”
Kim’s mother, Dr. Karen Oates, has been very instrumental in helping Kim bring her next project to light: Sir Bearsley, Tales of an Edwardian Teddy Bear. “Mom found an old soul of a bear on etsy in Brighton, England. His mohair worn completely off in patches, she fitted him with a waistcoat complete with watch pocket.” Clearly, Karen Oates is a bit of an old soul herself; obviously, it runs in the family.
Please treat yourself to a glimpse of Kim’s blogs :http://lavenderlofttales.blogspot.com and http://kimpoovey.blogspot.com. You will find photos, schedules, and information on the Victorian art of hair jewelry, among many other interesting tidbits.
Author’s note: As I was writing this story – Emma came to me and said: I don’t believe you can tell this story without me, so I have inserted quotations from Truer Words in blue.
